INFORMATION OVERLOAD

In our social media age, we have constant access to news cycles, accessing global information at the touch of a button. But what effect is this constant connection having on our mental health? Shahed Ezaydi investigates

- Shahed Ezaydi

THE NEWS IS EVERYWHERE. It’s on our TV screens, on the radio, and on the social media apps we scroll through on our phones. It’s simply never been easier to access and consume news— we can read about any headline, any topic, in most parts of the world 24/7. So, with the rise of the 24-hour news cycle, it’s no wonder that our news consumption has rapidly increased over the years.

According to Ofcom, the average adult watched 98 hours of TV news in 2019. They also found that television was the most used platform for news (75 per cent), followed by the internet (65), and social media (45).

Due to the fast-paced nature of the news cycle, it's not uncommon to feel an ever-present need to stay in the loop. Chris Cooper, life coach and founder of Life Complete, has worked with a number of clients regarding news consumption. He says that, “the way news is presented to us can create and feed our addiction, leading us to feel that if we aren’t constantly plugging into the news, we are missing out on information that is vital and we need to know right now.”